In a computer system, performance tests are conducted in a variety of situations. For example, when a server program is updated, a performance test such as a regression test is carried out. In the case of conducting a performance test of a program to be installed in a system in operation (actual operating system), for example, a system for verification (verification system) having the same configuration as the actual operating system is prepared. Then, a performance test of the verification system is carried out by sending verification data to the verification system.
As for a technology for creating verification data, there has been proposed, for example, a simulation test apparatus configured to receive verification data from a monitoring apparatus that monitors a transmission channel and transmit the verification data to an actual apparatus connected to the transmission channel or a simulation apparatus that represents the actual apparatus in a simulation environment. The simulation test apparatus converts a destination address of the verification data addressed to the actual apparatus into an address of the simulation apparatus, and also converts a source address of reply data sent from the simulation apparatus into the destination address before the conversion.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 11-220487
In the case where a verification system includes, as its system components, relay apparatuses for relaying packets, route settings are configured for the relay apparatuses in such a manner that a reply to each packet including verification data is transferred to an apparatus for conducting performance verification (verification apparatus).
However, a setting of a packet transfer destination for each of the relay apparatuses is configured based on an operation, for example, by a system administrator, and therefore causes the workload for the system administrator. For example, there is a case where the verification apparatus selects, from an address block prepared in advance (pool address block), an address to be used as a source address when a packet is transferred. The address block is an address group made up of a plurality of addresses. In this case, the administrator needs to configure settings for the relay apparatuses in such a manner that a packet directed to the address used by the verification apparatus as the packet source address is transferred to the verification apparatus, and thus the workload of the administrator is increased. Further, as the size of the verification-system network increases, the number of relay apparatuses in the network also increases, resulting in increased workload involved in the route settings.